Melt inclusions in natural rocks are an invaluable asset for geoscientists, as they grant access to the deep melt-related processes responsible for Earth’s evolution and chemical differentiation. In particular, these droplets provide hard quantitative data necessary to quantify a wealth of processes of great impact for all humankind. In magmatic rocks they allow us to track magma genesis and evolution at variable depth to understand the timescale of magma chamber dynamics as well as to better assess the risk related to volcanic eruptions. In metamorphic rocks, they shed light on melt production and melt-rock interaction in the deepest roots of collisional orogens and offer a natural mainstay for the refinement of global-scale volatile cycles. In the field of economic geology melt inclusions, studies can deliver crucial insights for the formation of ore deposits which constitute the foundations of our post-industrial society. Finally, experimental petrology on melt inclusion formation and evolution provides hard constraints to better interpret the results of natural studies. In this volume we aim to provide a comprehensive view of the latest developments of this fertile and still full-of-potential field, in view of the steadily increasing availability of high-resolution imaging and microanalytical techniques during the first 2 decades of the new millennium.

Specific topics include magmatism (volcanism, plutonism), metamorphism/partial melting, ore deposits (porphyry copper deposits, pegmatites), different host minerals (quartz, olivine, zircon, garnet), and experimental approaches.

Melt inclusions in natural rocks are an invaluable asset for geoscientists, as they grant access to the deep melt-related processes responsible for Earth’s evolution and chemical differentiation. In particular, these droplets provide hard quantitative data necessary to quantify a wealth of processes of great impact for all humankind. In magmatic rocks they allow us to track magma genesis and evolution at variable depth to understand the timescale of magma chamber dynamics as well as to better assess the risk related to volcanic eruptions. In metamorphic rocks, they shed light on melt production and melt-rock interaction in the deepest roots of collisional orogens and offer a natural mainstay for the refinement of global-scale volatile cycles. In the field of economic geology melt inclusions, studies can deliver crucial insights for the formation of ore deposits which constitute the foundations of our post-industrial society. Finally, experimental petrology on melt inclusion formation and evolution provides hard constraints to better interpret the results of natural studies. In this volume we aim to provide a comprehensive view of the latest developments of this fertile and still full-of-potential field, in view of the steadily increasing availability of high-resolution imaging and microanalytical techniques during the first 2 decades of the new millennium.

Specific topics include magmatism (volcanism, plutonism), metamorphism/partial melting, ore deposits (porphyry copper deposits, pegmatites), different host minerals (quartz, olivine, zircon, garnet), and experimental approaches.